katyelliott.com » paint colors

Olive Gray with Black Shutters

Katy Elliott — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:07:06 +0000

I receive many requests for house paint colors for historic homes spotted in Marblehead. My neighbor recently painted her 1809 home a gorgeous olive gray. The color was custom but it’s really close to Hampshire Gray by Benjamin Moore. The shutters and doors are painted black with white trim.

Hampshire Gray is part of Benjamin Moore’s historical paint collection; the olive undertones are really striking, polished and sharp. Clarksville Gray which is a lighter tone is a favorite of mine too.

Remember the color you see on your computer screen varies and is not an accurate representation of the paint color. Always, always, always paint a sample swatch on your house and view in different light conditions before committing to a specific shade.

Historic New England offers paint consultations for period correct exterior or interior paint colors and treatments. Find out more about the homeowner membership and benefits on their website: historicnewengland.org. I sent in photos of my house new and old to find out what would be “period correct” for my house. Excited to hear what they come up with!

Choosing Interior Molding Color

Katy Elliott — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:55:05 +0000

From left: Off White, Joa’s White, Clunch, and Lime White on molding.

We left off with painting the den a few months back. This room is so close to being done but I need to order more paint for the window sashes and the doors. When we were priming the molding Greg went a little to far and painted the molding in the stairwell too. I want the molding in the den to be Verte De Terre but everywhere else in the house the molding will be a cream.

So what color cream? I’ve been extremely happy with Farrow & Ball and their hues are a great fit for my old home. Back in 2009, I tested wall and molding colors for my den. At the time I thought I was going to paint my walls green and the trim cream. In the end I flipped the colors; the molding became Verte De Terre and the walls James White. Painting the walls a lighter color makes the room feel lighter and bigger. Stay tuned for more photos from my den…

I’ve been trying to decide between Clunch (#3 above) and Lime White (#4) for the molding in the rest of the house. The colors are really close. Clunch feels a little grayer and brighter while Lime White is warmer and darker. I tend to gravitate toward grey hued walls so I think Clunch will be my best bet.

I have my eye on Pink Ground for the stairwell up to the third floor. When we first moved into the house I painted the walls Phillipsburg Blue from Benjamin Moore but I’ve always felt it was too dark for the space. My house is really moody. I’m hoping choosing neutral pastels will garner an interior glow and will make the rooms feel brighter even in the middle of winter.

The blue stairs are left from when we ripped up nasty old carpet— I have plans to paint them too! I painted the walls Phillipsburg Blue walls when we first moved into the house.

Green: Marie Antoinette’s Petit Trianon

Katy Elliott — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:24:41 +0000

Wow has anyone else every seen this photo from Marie Antoinette’s silver room from Petit Trianon? Lauren from Fourth Floor Walk Up left the link on my green paneled molding post from last week. Gorgeous right? It has me thinking about painting my walls Green Ground or Tunsgate Green. I’ll wait till I get the ceiling up and the Verte De Terre paint on the molding before I decide. But it could be really outstanding?

Verte De Terre or Mizzle?

Katy Elliott — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:07:32 +0000

I totally forgot to post a photo of my new Mizzle Farrow & Ball paint sample. On the left is Verte De Terre and on the right is Mizzle. The colors changed a lot throughout the day. Both of the photos above were taken within an hour of each other in the middle of the day. I’m leaning toward Verte De Terre but Mizzle is a beautiful color too—a bit bluer gray. I love the name Mizzle: A soft blue grey which takes its name from the West Country description for a combination of mist and drizzle. Hmm I’m thinking Mizzle could describe a number of days in New England too!

New! Farrow & Ball Paint Colors

Katy Elliott — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 17:27:18 +0000

Wall below picture rail: Mizzle No.266, Wall above picture rail: Dix Blue® No.82, Ceiling: Wimborne White No.239.

It just keeps snowing! I thought I was a tough New England girl but with another snowstorm predicted for Saturday I’m crying, mercy!

Out this week nine new paint colors from Farrow & Ball for 2011. I already got a sample of Mizzle (above) above to try out on my molding. I love the styling of the new collection—it feels really fresh and perfect for a Maine summer house. I don’t think I would necessarily paint a whole room so many different colors but the images do inspire me to think about using accessories in similar accent colors. Gosh, I love rosy pinks/red with green! Above and below a few of my favorites from the new collection.

Wall: Manor House Gray No.265, Door & Ceiling: Cooking Apple Green® No.32, Desk: Red Earth® No.64, Chair: India Yellow No.66.

Wall: Calluna No.270, Ceiling: Churlish Green No.251, Door: Folly Green® No.76.

Doors: Dove Tale No.267, Wall: Arsenic® No.214, Ceiling: Churlish Green No.251

Wardrobe: Cabbage White No.269, Wall: Saxon Green® No.80, Ceiling: Blue Ground® No.210, Bed: Dimity® No.2008.

Elegant Green Paneled Molding

Katy Elliott — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 14:49:46 +0000

New beams have been installed in the den and next week the plasterer will be over to hang a new ceiling. I can’t believe that I may actually be able to paint my den in the next month or so. Ever since I saw the room I wanted to paint it green. At first, I wanted the trim to be cream and the walls green. We scraped off hundred layers of paint to discover the paint was originally green. Over the summer I spotted green molding in a number of historic New England homes which really pushed me to fully embrace painted moldings.

I want the molding to be an unsaturated green that feels moody with a bit a gray like the molding in the photos above and below. My first choice was Verte De Terre from Farrow & Ball. The sample we painted on the wall is extremely close to the original paint we found on the molding. Next week Farrow & Ball is releasing nine new paint colors. I’m eyeing Mizzle: A soft blue grey which takes its name from the West Country description for a combination of mist and drizzle. The color from the press release looked similar to the den below with the leather sofas. The new colors are not available till Feb 1st—I’ll share some inspiration rooms next week. The Mizzle sample should be here next week for me to try out!

Photo Credits: Jasper Conran Country, Farrow & Ball Living with Colour, Remodelista House Call: Karin Draaijer in Belgium, Quinlin and Francis Terry Architects: Kingsham Farm, unknown, World of Interiors: more photos here.

Roof Colors: Charcoal Or Pewter Gray

Katy Elliott — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:03:18 +0000

All hands on deck! I need help. I found a roofer, love him! I need to pick a roof color pronto! He gave me a sample board of colors but I’m having a really hard time choosing. All the roofs I like in town are charcoal which is really dark. But I love how the contrast looks on my favorite house color combo: putty/white trim/dark green shutters. But I realize it’s not very “green” of me to choose such a dark color. Darker colors absorb, lighter colors are more reflective thus making the house less hot in the summer and more efficient.

I tried to find some examples of gray architectural shingles in my neighborhood but I had a really hard time. Most of them are charcoal. I really need everyone’s opinion. Charcoal or Pewter Gray. The first roof below is similar to pewter gray? I’m having a color inducing anxiety attack. Above my roof as is which is really light gray, yuck!

p.s. I got the roof colors names confused before. Look here at the shingles website for more photos.

Architectural shingles in a gray

Charcoal

This one is my favorite but my roofer told me it’s Pewter in 3-tab which looks lighter. But I think he meant to say, charcoal? I have to use architectural shingles because that’s what my historic society approved.

Back To Green Molding

Katy Elliott — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:41:46 +0000

I’m back to thinking about painting my molding green in then den. Yes, we have a few other tentative projects that may finally be taking shape (if you follow me on twitter) but talking about paint is way more fun.

The molding conversation has been going on for over a year now? I’m seriously not that indecisive but other things are holding me up from painting the room. I am waiting to get my chimneys, electric, and possibly the ceiling rehung before I paint. I’ve had a lot of time to think about colors and test out every green paint under the sun. I forget about the project for months and then I come back to it after seeing an amazing green room in a magazine or in a house in Marblehead.

Last weekend a friend and I stopped into the Marblehead Arts Association. The first floor gallery as this amazing molding painted a sage green. I’ve stared at this room a hundred times this past summer…seeing the room paired with stripped floors really seals the deal for me. I want to paint my molding green!

I don’t want to do my walls as white but a little creamier. My two favorite greens are Farrow & Balls’s Cooking Apple Green and Verte De Terre. Below snapshots of the gallery from my iphone and a shot of the room in question.

House Colors: Gray, White, Green or Black

Katy Elliott — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:14:44 +0000

Greg and I gathering references to get our roof redone. In the meantime I’m snapping photos around town of potential roof colors. This morning I realized I’ve never shown photos of my potential house colors which to me totally relates to the roof color.

My two favorite houses in town are a shade of gray with dark shutters and white trim. The house above is gray/brown with dark green shutters. How cute is the whale over the front door? The cobblestone driveway is pretty awesome too! The second just a block away from my house is dark gray, white trim, with black shutters. See a photo of inside this house here (my fav wallpaper). Both color combos are traditional but feel a little dressier with contrasting dark shutters.

Update: The second house in this post recently got painted. Click here to view and find out the exact paint color to try yourself.

Painted House Number

Katy Elliott — Tue, 18 May 2010 16:55:43 +0000

Have you ever walk by a house a hundred times but never notice a beautiful little detail? Last week on the news; I must have saw the entrance of 10 Downing Street in London (residence and office of the Prime Minister ) a hundred times. I kept fixating on the painted 10 on the front door. That night I walked by a similar door in Marblehead. Suddenly I realized I love glossy black front doors with painted white house numbers. How great would 39 look on my front door? Love it!